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CONNECTICUT 


AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION 


NEW     HAVEN,    CONN 


BULLETIN    146,   OCTOBER,    1904. 


ENTOMOLOGICAL   SERIES,    No.    II. 

San  Jose  Scale-Insect  Experiments  in  1904. 


S 

43 


CONTENTS. 

Page 

Officers  and  Staff  of  Station 2 

San  Jose  Scale-Insect  Experiments  in  1904 3 

Effect  of  the  Winter  on  the  Trees 4 

Effect  of  the  Winter  on  the  Insects 4 

Materials  Used  in  Spraying 5 

Early  Winter  Spraying 6 

Spraying  in  Late  Winter  and  Spring 11 

Connecticut  Orchards  Sprayed  in  1904. 19 

Making  the  Boiled  Mixture 21 

Making  the  Mixture  without  Boiling 24 

Outfit  for  Applying  the  Mixture 27 

Summary 32 


The  Bulletins  of  this  Station  are  mailed  free  to  citizens  of  Connec- 
ticut who  apply  for  them,  and  to  others  as  far  as  the  limited  editions 
permit. 


CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURAL  EIPERIIENT  STATION. 

OFFICEES    AXSTID     STAFF. 


BOARD   OF   CONTROL. 

Ex  officio. 

His  Excellency  Abikam  Chamberlain,  President. 

Prof.  W.  O.  Atwater  Middletown. 

Prof.  W.  H.  Brewer,,  Secretary  New  Haven. 

B.  W.  Collins    Meriden. 

T.  S.  Gold   West  Cornwall. 

Edwin  Hoyt   New  Canaan. 

J.  H.  Webb  Hamden. 

E.  H.  Jenkins,  Director  and  Treasurer New  Haven. 

STATION   STAFF. 

Chemists. 

Analytical  Laboratory. 

A.  L.  Winton,  Ph.D.,  Chemist  in  charge. 

E.  Monroe  Bailey,  Ph.B.  Kate  G.  Barber,  B.S. 

I.  A.  Andrew,  Ph.B. 

Laboratory  for  the  Study  of  Proteids. 

T.  B.  Osborne,  Ph.D.,  Chemist  in  charge. 

I.  F.  Harris,  M.S. 

Botanist. 
G.  P.  Clinton,  S.D. 

Entomologist. 
W.  E.  Britton,  Ph.D. 

Assistant  to  the  Entomologist. 
B.  H.  Walden,  B.Agr. 

Forester. 
Walter  .  Mulford,  F.E.f 

In  charge  of  Forestry  Work. 
Austin  F.  Hawes,  M.F. 

Grass  Gardener. 
James  B.  Olcott,  South  Manchester. 

Stenographers  and  Clerks. 

Miss  V.  E.  Cole. 
Miss  L.  M.  Brautlecht. 

In  charge  of  Buildings  and  Grounds. 
William  Veitch. 

Laboratory  Helper. 
Hugo  Lange. 

Sampling  Agent. 
V.  L.  Churchill,  New  Haven. 

f  Absent  on  leave. 


San  Jose  Scale-Insect  Experiments  in  1904 

BY 

W.   E.   Britton  and  B.    H.   Walden. 

Bulletin  144  of  this  station  contains  an  account  of  the  experi- 
mental spraying  work  against  the  San  Jose  scale-insect  for  1903. 
In  December  of  that  year  tests  were  made  in  Bridgeport  to 
determine  whether  fall  or  early  winter  spraying  with  lime  and 
sulphur  could  be  depended  upon  to  hold  the  scale  in  check  in 
Connecticut.  About  770  trees,  mostly  Japan  plum,  with  a  few 
peach  and  pear  trees,  were  treated.  A  few  trees  in  New  Haven 
were  also  sprayed  in  the  fall. 

In  the  spring  of  1904,  spraying  experiments  were  conducted 
at  New  Haven,  Westville,  Wallingford,  Milford  and  South- 
ington.  The  boiled  mixture  did  not  seem  to  adhere  to  the 
trees  as  well  as  last  year,  doubtless  owing  to  the  different 
climatic  conditions.  Wherever  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixtures 
are  used  there  is  a  decided  tendency  for  the  young  scales  to  set 
upon  the  fruit  and  leaves  instead  of  the  twigs  that  have  been 
covered  with  the  spray  mixture.  This  is  doubtless  the  case 
where  any  adhesive  mixture  is  used,  and  often  the  fruit  is  dis- 
figured by  the  scales  when  they  are  not  abundant  on  the  twigs. 

All  of  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixtures  seem  to  have  consider- 
able value  as  fungicides. 

Young  scales  were  first  observed  crawling  on  June  25,  at 
New  Haven. 

The  whole  number  of  trees  and  plants  treated  in  these  experi- 
ments was  approximately  as  follows : 

-v,      °rj  ',.    f-  December  treatment. 

New  Haven 14   \ 

Westville 150^ 

Wallingford 130   | 

Milford 481    J-  Spring  treatment. 

Southington 2552    j 

New  Haven 35  J 

Total 4134 

The  effects  of  the  winter  on  the  trees  make  it  impracticable  in 
many  cases  to  express  the  results  of  the  spring  treatment  in 
exact  figures,  as  was  done  in  bulletin  144.  In  some  cases, 
however,  this  can  be  done,  and  we  consider  the  general  results 
to  be  of  sufficient  value  for  publication,  and  so  present  them  in 
the  following  pages : 


4  connecticut  experiment  station,  bulletin  i46. 

Effect  of  the  Winter  on  the  Trees. 

It  would  be  manifestly  unfair  to  give  any  account  of  experi- 
mental spraying  work  against  the  San  Jose  scale-insect  without 
mentioning  the  very  unusual  effect  of  the  season  in  causing 
injury  to  trees  and  orchards.  The  extraordinary  winter  killed 
many  peach  and  plum  trees  in  Connecticut,  and  thousands  were 
seriously  injured.  Scale-infested  trees,  as  a  rule,  were  the  first 
to  show  this  injury  and  thousands  of  such  trees  in  peach 
orchards  went  into  the  winter  in  a  weakened  condition  never 
to  leaf  out  again.  But  the  damage  was  by  no  means  confined 
to  infested  trees.  In  some  places  young  and  vigorous  peach 
trees  were  frozen  and  killed  to  the  snow  line  and  had  to  be 
cut  away,  while  in  many  orchards,  especially  on  the  lower  levels, 
the  fruit  buds  were  entirely  destroyed.  In  some  instances  trees 
leafed  out,  but  soon  withered  and  died.  Large  apple  trees  in 
different  parts  of  the  State  appeared  sickly  in  June  and  July 
and  some  of  the  branches  withered  and  died.  An  examination 
failed  to  show  the  presence  of  any  parasitic  trouble,  and  their 
condition  could  be  ascribed  only  to  winter  injury.  On  the 
whole,  Connecticut  orchards  suffered  a  vast  amount  of  damage, 
from  which  some  of  them  will  not  recover  in  several  years,  if 
ever. 

At  the  time  of  cutting  twigs  to  examine  the  insects  prior  to 
spraying,  the  best  looking  infested  twigs  were  selected,  but  the 
extent  of  this  winter  injury  could  not  then  be  determined.  But 
in  many  cases  the  infested  wood  was  injured  or  dead  and  most 
or  all  of  the  scale-insects  were  dead  in  consequence,  before  the 
spray  was  applied. 

In  June,  when  the  twigs  were  cut  for  the  second  examination 
to  show  the  effect  of  the  treatment,  the  trees  were  in  leaf  and 
it  was  easy  to  distinguish  the  living  from  the  dead  branches. 
Only  living  branches,  of  course,  were  examined  at  this  time, 
and  in  some  cases  the  number  of  living  insects  after  the  treat- 
ment exceeded  the  number  found  on  the  injured  branches  at 
the  first  examination. 

Effect  of  the  Winter  on  the  Insects. 

Ordinarily  we  find  that  a  portion  of  San  Jose  scale-insects 

are  killed  each  winter — probably  by  the  climatic  conditions. 

Twenty-five  per  cent,  is  about  the  average  mortality    pjid  75 

per  cent,  of  living  insects  is  about  the  number  that  :pect 


MATERIALS    USED    IN   SPRAYING.  5 

to  find  when  we  cut  twigs  for  examination  in  March  or  April. 
The  past  winter  proved  to  be  an  exception  to  this  rule,  the  mor- 
tality being  much  greater  than  usual.  Seldom  did  we  find 
50  per  cent,  of  the  scale-insects  alive,  even  on  healthy  twigs. 
So  many  of  the  twigs  were  injured  that  much  less  than  50 
per  cent,  of  the  whole  number  of  scale-insects  actually  sur- 
vived the  winter. 


Materials  Used  in  Spraying. 
Various  materials  prepared  after  15  different  formulas  were 
used  in  these  experiments.  The  formulas  are  given  below, 
each  with  a  separate  number,  by  which  it  is  designated  in  the 
following  pages.  The  details  of  preparing  each  are  given  on 
pages  21-28. 

BOILED  MIXTURES. 

1. — 14  lbs.  lime.  )       Flowers    of    sulphur    made    into   a   paste    and 

14  lbs.  sulphur.     ;-  slaked   with   lime.     Mixture   boiled    30    minutes 
40  galls,  water.     )   with  steam. 

2. — 14  lbs.  lime.  )       Light  sulphur  flour  not   made   into  a  paste  but 

14  lbs.  sulphur.  1    added  dry  to   the  slaking  lime.     Boiled  45  to  60 

40  galls,  water.  '   minutes. 

-20  lbs.  lime.  )       Light  sulphur  flour  not  made  into  a  paste  but 

14  lbs.  sulphur.  -  added  dry  to   the  slaking  lime.     Boiled  45  to  60 

40  galls,  water.  )   minutes. 


3-- 


-20 
20 
40  galls,  water. 


MIXTURES  NOT  BOILED. 
,,       ,.  "I        Lime  slaked  and  potassium  sulphide 

s.    1m  .  dissolved  separately  and   then  put  to- 

lbs.  potassium  sulphide.    >■       .,  ..,  r.,         J  \..        c 

o-aiic    Wa*pr  i   gether    with    the    proper    quantity   of 

J    water. 
)       Fused    sodium    sulphide    broken   into 

-  small   lumps   and  added    to    the    slaking 
}  lime. 
)       Fused   sodium    sulphide    broken   into 

-  small    lumps    and  added    to    the    slaking 
\   lime. 


5. — 20  lbs.  lime. 

20  lbs.  sodium  sulphide. 

40  galls,  water. 
6. — 20  lbs.  lime. 

10  lbs.  sodium  sulphide. 
40  galls,  water. 

7. — 20  lbs.  lime. 

6  lbs.  sulphur. 
6  lbs.  sodium  sulphide. 
40  galls,  water. 
8. — 20  lbs.  lime. 

11  lbs.  sulphur. 

11  lbs.  sodium  sulphide. 
40  galls,  water. 
9. — 14  lbs.  lime. 

6  lbs.  sulphur. 

6  lbs.  sodium  sulphide. 
40  galls,  water. 
10. — 14  lbs.  lime. 

11  lbs.  sulphur. 

11  lbs.  sodium  sulphide. 

40  galls,  water. 


Light  sulphur  flour,  sulphide  in  lumps, 
both  added  to  slaking  lime. 

Light  sulphur  flour,  sulphide  in  lumps, 
both  added  to  slaking  lime. 


!        Flowers  of  sulphur,  sulphide  in  lumps, 
both  added  to  slaking  lime. 


!        Flowers  of  sulphur,  sulphide  in  lumps, 
1    both  added  to  slaking  lime. 


6  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  BULLETIN    I46. 

11. — 20  lbs.  lime.  "] 

14  lbs.  sulphur.  !        Flowers  of  sulphur,  sulphide  in  lumps, 

6  lbs.  sodium  sulphide,  f  both  added  to  slaking  lime. 
40  galls,  water.  J 

12. —  8  lbs.  caustic  soda.  )       -..       ,      ,       ,     .         ,  ,  ,         ... 

aq  o-qlls    water  I"       Dissolved  soda  in  cold  water  and  applied. 

13. —  7  lbs.  caustic  soda.  )       ^..       ,      ,        ,     .         ,  ,  .         ... 

40  cralls    water  f       Dissolved  soda  in  cold  water  and  applied. 

14. — 14  lbs.  lime.  ■] 

14  lbs.  sulphur.  I       Light  sulphur  flour  and  caustic  soda  added 

7  lbs   caustic  soda.  [  t0  the  slakin?  ]ime. 
40  galls,  water.  J 

15. — 20  lbs.  lime.  ") 

14  lbs.  sulphur.  !        Light   sulphur  flour  and  caustic  soda  added 

5  lbs.  caustic  soda.  {   to  the  slaking  lime. 

40  galls,  water.  J 

Early  Winter  Spraying. 

On  account  of  the  unfavorable  weather  and  the  rush  of  work 
in  late  winter  and  spring,  it  would  frequently  be  more  con- 
venient for  orchardists  to  spray  in  the  fall.  Ordinarily  in 
Connecticut  the  San  Jose  scale-insect  continues  breeding  until 
about  December  i.  Last  fall  the  young  were  observed  crawl- 
ing on  December  2.  We  believe  that  if  the  spraying  can  be 
done  as  soon  as  the  leaves  drop  or  during  November,  that  a 
large  proportion  of  the  young  will  be  killed,  and  that  they  are 
much  more  susceptible  to  the  effect  of  the  sprays  than  after 
they  are  partially  grown  and  better  protected  by  their  shells 
or  armor.  The  mature  insects  die  naturally,  before  spring, 
and  it  is  only  the  half  or  partially  grown  individuals  that  carry 
the  species  through  the  winter. 

The  experiments  in  fall  spraying  herein  described  were  made 
December  10  and  later,  and  though  satisfactory  it  seems  rea- 
sonable that  even  better  results  might  follow  from  a  treatment 
made  two  weeks  earlier  in  the  season. 


Experiments  at  Bridgeport. 
At  Bridgeport  an  orchard  of  about  six  hundred  Japanese 
plum,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  peach,  thirty-four  pear  and 
ten  quince  trees  was  sprayed  with  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixture 
December  10  and  n.  The  trees  were  quite  close  together 
and  irregular  in  size.  This  orchard  was  sprayed  in  the  spring 
of  1902  with  crude  oil  and  water.  While  this  treatment  was 
quite  successful,  some  scales  came  through  alive,  and  as  the 
orchard  is  in  a  badly  infested  locality,  conditions  were  favorable 
for  the  scale  to  continue  to  breed.     Since  the  treatment  in  1902, 


EARLY   WINTER    SPRAYING,   BRIDGEPORT.  J 

trees  which  became  badly  infested  were  sprayed  with  kerosene 
emulsion,  whale  oil  soap,  or  other  similar  mixtures.  At  the 
time  of  the  last  treatment,  the  orchard  was  not  badly  infested, 
but  scales  could  be  found  on  nearly  every  tree. 

The  lime  and  sulphur  mixture  was  prepared  at  a  near-by 
woodyard,  where  a  twenty  horse-power  upright  boiler  fur- 
nished steam  to  cook  the  mixture.  A  fifty  gallon  cask  was 
used  for  boiling  the  mixture,  steam  being  conveyed  through 
a  hose  connected  to  the  boiler. 

The  following  formula  (No.  i)  was  used: 

14  lbs.  fresh  finishing  lime. 
14  lbs.  flowers  of  sulphur. 
40  galls,  water. 

The  sulphur  was  made  into  a  thick  smooth  paste  with  water 
as  hot  as  could  be  conveniently  borne  by  the  hands,  which  were 
used  to  work  the  lumps  out  of  the  paste.  The  lime  was/ put 
into  a  barrel,  hot  water  added,  and  as  soon  as  it  commenced 
to  slake  the  sulphur  paste  was  poured  in,  and  the  whole  stirred 
to  prevent  the  lime  from  "burning."  By  the  time  the  lime  was 
slaked  we  had  a  smooth  mixture  which  was  assuming  a  darker 
color,  showing  that  the  sulphur  was  being  dissolved.  About 
one-third  the  required  amount  of  water  was  then  added,  the 
steam  turned  on  and  the  mixture  boiled  vigorously  for  thirty 
minutes.  This  was  stirred  frequently,  and  the  hose  moved  to 
different  places  in  the  barrel  so  that  the  mixture  was  kept  well 
agitated.  The  boiled  mixture  was  dipped  out  and  strained 
into  the  pump  barrel. 

The  sulphur  appeared  to  be  all  dissolved,  and  very  little 
sediment  was  present,  that  which  accumulated  in  the  strainer 
being  practically  all  washed  through  with  cold  water.  After 
the  boiled  lime  and  sulphur  mixture  was  transferred  to  the 
pump  barrel,  cold  water  was  added  until  the  barrel  was  filled 
within  about  four  inches  of  the  top.  This  made  practically 
forty  gallons. 

The  spraying  outfit  consisted  of  a  barrel  pump,  mounted  on 
the  end  of  a  forty-five  gallon  barrel.  This  was  placed  on  a 
low  wagon,  and  fitted  with  two  lines  of  one-half  inch  hose 
from  thirty  to  forty  feet  long.  To  each  line  of  hose  was 
attached  an  eight-foot  bamboo  extension  with  a  double  Vermorel 
nozzle. 


CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,   BULLETIN    I46. 


The  trees  were  coated  as  thoroughly  as  possible.  On  some 
of  the  trees  that  had  been  sprayed  with  the  soap  and  oil  solu- 
tions the  mixture  did  not  seem  to  stick  as  well,  and  when  the 
trees  dried  the  coating  was  of  a  bluish  grey  color. 


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Formula  No.  1 — 
14  lbs.  lime. 
14  lbs.  sulphur. 
40  galls,  water. 

Condition  of  trees 
before  treatment. 

Moderately  infested. 

2»i 

•*J-        in        O         co        O           N 
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5** 

Pear 

Peach  

Jap.  Plum  . 
Wild   Plum 
Quince 

Average . 

EARLY    WINTER   SPRAYING,    NEW    HAVEN.  9 

No  twigs  were  cut  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  scales 
at  the  time  of  treatment,  but  it  was  assumed  that  ioo  per 
cent,  were  alive  at  that  time,  as  the  insects  had  been  breeding 
up  to  a  few  days  previous  and  there  had  been  no  cold  weather 
to  cause  wholesale  destruction  of  them.  Twigs  were  cut 
January  2,  1904,  and  examined,  and  again  on  June  22.  The 
figures  are  given  in  Table  I.  on  page  8. 

Results  at  Bridgeport. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  trees  were  not  made  very 
white  by  the  mixture  (Formula  No.  1).  This  is  partly  due  to 
the  fact  that  oil  had  previously  been  used  on  some  of  the  trees, 
and  partly  due  to  the  small  quantity  of  lime  in  the  mixture. 
Nevertheless,  the  adhesive  qualities  were  good  and  the  mixture 
could  be  seen  on  the  trees  in  some  places  when  the  final  exami- 
nation was  made  on  October  20. 

On  December  io-ii,  when  the  spraying  was  done,  the  scales 
were  about  all  alive.  On  January  2,  less  than  a  month  after 
the  application,  twigs  were  cut  and  examined,  with  the  result 
that  an  average  of  17.5  per  cent,  of  living  insects  were  found. 
This  can  fairly  be  attributed  to  the  effect  of  the  treatment, 
principally  because  no  severe  weather  or  ice  storms  had  occurred 
to  kill  the  scale-insects  in  unusual  numbers. 

The  results  of  the  second  examination  of  twigs  on  June  22 
are  somewhat  disappointing,  as  an  average  of  10.6  per  cent,  of 
living  insects  were  found  after  one  of  the  most  severe  winters 
known  in  recent  years.  In  spite  of  the  rather  large  percentage 
of  living  insects  in  this  test,  the  writers  believe  that  fall  or  early 
winter  spraying  can  and  soon  will  be  practiced  by  the  growers. 
We  shall  make  further  tests  along  this  line.  The  following 
account  of  fall  spraying  at  New  Haven  shows  better  results  in 
figures  than  the  Bridgeport  experiments. 

When  the  final  examination  was  made  of  the  sprayed  trees 
at  Bridgeport  on  October  20,  they  were  found  to  be  in  a  very 
satisfactory  condition.  The  trees  had  made  good  growth,  borne 
a  crop  of  fruit  and  few  living  scale-insects  could  be  found. 

Experiments  at  New  Haven. 

On  December  19  a  number  of  small  trees  and  shrubs  in  the 

western  part  of  the  city  were  sprayed  with  the  lime  and  sodium 

sulphide  mixture  (Formula  No.  5).     The  sulphide  was  broken 

into  lumps  not  larger  than  butternuts  and  was  added  to  the 


IO  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  BULLETIN    I46. 


lime  after  the  slaking  process  was  well  started  with  hot  water. 
After  slaking  the  lime  the  whole  was  allowed  to  stand  for  a  few 
minutes,  utilizing  the  heat  to  help  dissolve  the  lumps  of  so'dium 
sulphide.     Then  cold  water  was  added  and  the  liquid  sprayed 


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SPRING   SPRAYING,    WESTVILLE.  II 

upon  the  trees.  This  makes  a  mixture  which  is  ash-grey  in 
color  and  does  not  disfigure  the  trees  and  shrubs  to  which  it  is 
applied  like  the  boiled  mixture ;  but  it  is  very  caustic  in  its 
action,  and  therefore  needs  to  be  handled  with  more  care.  Sore 
spots  are  formed  wherever  it  strikes  the  skin  and  it  corrodes 
the  finger  nails ;  therefore  face  and  hands  should  be  well  pro- 
tected if  this  mixture  is  to  be  used. 

A  few  trees  on  the  station  grounds  were  also  sprayed  during 
December,  using  the  same  formula. 

Table  II.  contains  the  data  connected  with  these  tests. 

Results  at  New  Haven. 
Most  of  the  trees  sprayed  with  lime  and  sodium  sulphide  were 
on  rented  land  and  were  destroyed  by  the  tenant  on  vacating  the 
premises  in  April.  The  twigs  examined,  therefore,  were  cut 
during  April  instead  of  June,  as  in  most  of  the  other  experi- 
ments. Nevertheless  the  percentage  of  living  insects  was  rea- 
sonably small,  though  probably  the  winter  is  partly  responsible. 
Two  larger  trees  (apple)  on  the  station  grounds  received  similar 
treatment,  and  though  only  5  per  cent,  of  living  insects  were 
found  in  June  the  trees  were  fairly  well  coated  with  scale- 
insects  in  October  at  the  writing  of  this  bulletin. 

Spraying  in  Late  Winter  and  Spring. 
Westville  Experiments. 

About  150  pear  trees  were  sprayed  on  March  21  and  24. 
This  is  the  same  orchard  that  was  sprayed  last  year  and 
described  in  bulletin  144,  page  9.  The  condition  of  the  trees 
generally  was  about  the  same  as  last  year,  except  that  those 
treated  last  season  with  Bordeaux  mixture  and  plain  white- 
wash were  more  scaly  than  was  the  case  a  year  ago,  and  also 
more  scaly  than  the  other  trees.  Nearly  all  were  seriously 
infested,  but  had  not  suffered  from  winter  injury  as  much  as 
most  peach  and  plum  trees  in  the  same  region. 

March  21  was  a  bright,  still  day,  becoming  cloudy  in  the 
afternoon,  with  a  light  snow  at  night  and  a  light  drizzle  of  rain 
in  the  forenoon  of  the  22. 

The  boiled  mixture  (see  formula  No.  2,  page  5)  was  used 
on  the  first  five  rows,  beginning  on  the  northwest  side.  Hot 
water  and  light  sulphur  flour  were  added  to  the  hard  finishing 


12  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  BULLETIN    I46. 


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SPRING   SPRAYING,   WALLINGFORD.  I  3 

lime  and  the  mixture  well  stirred  until  the  lime  was  thor- 
oughly slaked.  It  was  then  boiled  for  45  minutes  in  a  feed 
cooker  corresponding  to  a  kettle  over  a  wood  fire.  This  outfit 
is  shown  on  plate  II.  b.  The  next  eight  rows  were  sprayed  with 
lime,  sulphur  and  sodium  sulphide,  four  receiving  formula  No. 
9,  and  four  formula  No.  10.  One  row  was  sprayed  with  lime, 
sulphur  and  caustic  soda  (Formula  No.  14)  and  one  row  with 
the  caustic  soda  solution  (Formula  No.  12). 

Results  at  Westville. 

These  spraying  tests  show  the  boiled  lime  and  sulphur  mix- 
ture to  be  no  more  efficient  in  destroying  the  scale-insects  than 
similar  mixtures  containing  lime  and  sulphur  and  prepared 
without  boiling.  Apparently  there  was  not  much  difference  in 
the  adhesive  qualities  of  these  mixtures.  When  twigs  were  cut 
in  June  for  final  examination,  the  whitish  coating  could  be  seen, 
especially  on  the  under  sides  of  the  branches  of  all  the  trees, 
except,  of  course,  those  receiving  the  caustic  soda  solution 
containing  no  lime.  Caustic  soda  solution  as  used  here  (1  lb. 
in  5  gallons  water)  was  less  effective  in  destroying  scale  than 
any  of  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixtures.     (See  Table  III.) 

None  of  the  pear  trees  of  the  orchard  showed  any  injury 
that  could  be  ascribed  to  the  spraying,  though  some  branches 
were  killed  by  scale  and  winter.  When  examined  October  22, 
most  of  the  trees  had  made  good  growth  and  there  were  few 
scales  on  the  new  wood,  though  the  old  wood  was  well  covered 
with  dead  ones.  The  trees  sprayed  with  the  caustic  soda  solu- 
tion were  far  more  scaly  than  any  of  the  others.  There  was  but 
little  difference  in  effectiveness  between  formulas  No.  2,  No. 
9,  No.  10  and  No.  14,  though  No.  9  was  probably  the  least 
efficient. 

Wallingford  Experiments. 
The  trees  sprayed  at  Wallingford  were  seven  years  old,  of 
good  size,  and  but  slightly  infested  with  the  San  Jose  scale- 
insect.  The  damage  to  the  trees  by  the  winter  was  slight. 
The  applications  were  made  April  8.  Ninety  trees  were 
sprayed,  using  the  following  formula  (No.  9)  : 

14  lbs.  fresh  finishing  lime.  6  lbs.  sodium  sulphide. 

6  lbs.  flowers  of  sulphur.  40  galls,  water. 


14  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  BULLETIN    I46. 

The  materials  were  weighed  out,  the  lime  placed  in  a  barrel 
and  just  enough  cold  water  added  to  start  it  slaking.  When 
the  lime  began  to  slake  the  sulphur  and  sodium  sulphide  were 
added  and  the  mixture  kept  well  stirred.  Just  enough  cold 
water  was  added  to  prevent  the  lime  from  becoming  dry  or 
"burning,"  thus  keeping  the  mixture  hot  in  order  to  dissolve  the 
sodium  sulphide,  and  as  much  of  the  sulphur  as  possible. 
After  the  lime  had  slaked,  a  small  amount  of  water  was  added 
and  the  mixture  allowed  to  stand  for  at  least  twenty  minutes, 
with  occasional  stirring.  It  was  then  dipped  out,  strained  and 
diluted.  This  preparation  was  of  a  dark  muddy  olive-green 
color,  becoming  greenish  yellow  when  diluted.  Upon  strain- 
ing this  into  the  pump  barrel  no  more  sediment  remained  than 
with  the  boiled  lime  and  sulphur  mixture. 

The  spraying  outfit  consisted  of  a  No.  6  "Hardie"  pump 
mounted  on  the  side  of  a  fifty-gallon  barrel.  The  trees  were 
covered  thoroughly.  Upon  drying,  the  coating  was  not  as  white 
as  on  the  trees  sprayed  with  the  boiled  mixture  (Formula  No. 
3).  This,  of  course,  was  due  to  the  smaller  amount  of  lime 
used  in  our  mixture  and  the  darker  color  which  the  sodium  sul- 
phide imparted  to  it. 

About  forty  trees  in  the  same  block  were  sprayed  with  a 
mixture  made  after  formula  No.  10. 

This  was  prepared  in  the  same  way  as  the  above  mixture. 
The  additional  amount  of  sulphur  and  sodium  sulphide  made 
very  little  difference  in  the  appearance  of  the  mixture,  making 
it  a  trifle  darker  in  color.  The  following  table  gives  the  chief 
data: 

Results  at  Wallingford. 

Though  130  trees  were  sprayed  here  by  the  writers,  the 
owners  of  the  orchard  sprayed  the  remaining  9,000  trees  with 
boiled  lime  and  sulphur  mixture,  using  for  the  most  part 
formula  No.  3.  (See  page  5.)  Their  work  was  done  with 
thoroughness  and  twigs  were  cut  from  some  of  the  trees  for 
comparison  with  our  tests.  The  mixture  made  after  formula 
No.  9  did  not  appear  to  stick  on  the  trees  as  well  as  the  boiled 
mixture,  and  the  figures  show  that  it  was  less  effective  as  a 
scale-destroyer.  Though  where  more  sulphur  and  more  sodium 
sulphide  were  used  (No.  10)  the  results  were  much  better;  the 
average  number  of  surviving  scale-insects  being  smaller  even 
than  where  the  boiled  mixture  was  used. 


SPRING  SPRAYING,  WALLINGFORD. 


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1 6  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  BULLETIN    I46. 

The  orchard  was  examined  on  October  26,  and  the  trees  were 
found  to  be  in  a  very  satisfactory  condition.  It  was  difficult  to 
find  living  insects  on  any  of  the  sprayed  trees  in  the  orchard. 

Experiments  at  Southington. 

The  small  peach  orchard  sprayed  last  year  and  described  on 
page  14  of  bulletin  144  should  be  mentioned  here.  That  half 
of  the  orchard  receiving  lime  and  sulphur  mixtures  remained 
quite  free  from  scale,  and  though  the  trees  suffered  injury  from 
the  winter,  were  in  much  better  condition  than  the  trees  in  the 
other  half  of  the  orchard  where  whitewash  was  used  and  kero- 
sene emulsion  applied  in  August.  The  whitewashed  trees  went 
into  the  winter  in  a  badly  infested  condition  and  were  killed, 
or  injured  to  such  an  extent  that  they  were  cut  out  in  the 
spring.     Twigs  and  branches  were  dead. 

The  remaining  trees,  100  in  number,  were  sprayed  on  April 
4  and  5.  Seventy  received  boiled  lime  and  sulphur.  (See 
formula  No.  2,  page  5.)  The  other  trees  were  sprayed  with 
lime,  sulphur  and  sodium  sulphide,  18  with  formula  No.  9, 
and  12  with  formula  No.  10. 

A  much  larger  peach  orchard  at  Spring  Lake  farm,  owned 
by  Mr.  L.  V.  Walkley,  was  found  to  be  seriously  infested  by 
the  scale-insect,  and  though  winter  injury  was  at  first  apparent 
it  was  considered  a  good  place  for  experimentation,  and  about 
950  large  trees  and  1,500  small  ones  were  sprayed  with  various 
mixtures  April  4-19.  The  boiled  mixtures  were  cooked  with 
steam  from  the  boiler  of  a  Kinney  "Safe"  portable  engine. 
The  data  are  presented  in  Tables  V.  and  VI. 

Results  at  Southington. 
The  percentage  of  living  insects  shown  in  Tables  V  and  VI 
are  all  low  and  would  indicate  that  the  mixtures  were  efficient 
had  not  the  winter  killed  such  a  large  proportion  of  the  scales. 
On  the  whole,  the  mixtures  adhered  well  to  the  trees  and  could 
be  seen  on  the  trunks  and  larger  branches  when  the  twigs  were 
cut  in  June.  The  boiled  mixtures  remained  perhaps  longer 
than  those  made  without  boiling,  though  the  differences  were 
not  great.  The  effect  of  the  winter  on  this  orchard  makes  it 
difficult  to  draw  any  accurate  conclusions  regarding  the 
efficiency  of  the  various  mixtures  used.  It  seems  safe  to  say, 
however,  that  the  spread  of  the  scale  was  greatly  checked  by 


PLATE   I. 


a.  The  noon  hour  in  spraying  time.     Portable  boiling  plant  and  outfits  for 
applying  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixture. 


b.  Nearer  view  showing  methods  of  mounting  pump  and  barrel.     The  proper 

method  is  shown  at  the  right.     This  is  an  excellent  outfit 

for  a  rough  orchard. 


VIEWS  IN   ORCHARD  OF   HIGHLAND  FRUIT  CO.,  WALLINGFORD. 


PLATE   II. 


a.  Applying  the   mixture   to   infested   pear   trees. 


b.  Boiling  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixture  in  a  kettle  or  feed  cooker. 
WESTVILLE   EXPERIMENTS. 


PLATE   III. 


a.  Improved    stationary    cooking    plant    of    J.    H.    Hale,    South    Glastonbury. 
Capacity  of  this  plant  is  about  50  barrels  of  mixture  per  day. 


b.  The    common    method    in    Connecticut    orchards.     A    portable    engine    with 

boiler  is  placed  near  the  orchard  where  water  can  be  obtained.     Steam 

is  conveyed  to  the  barrels  through  common  rubber  hose. 


STATIONARY  AND   PORTABLE   STEAM   COOKING   PLANTS. 


PLATE   IV. 


a.  Some    spray    nozzles    in    common    use.     I.  Single    Vermorel :     2.  McGowen 
3.  Bordeaux :    4.  Double  Vermorel :    5.  Mistry :    6.  Double  Spramotor. 


b.  An  excellent  home-made 
strainer  and  funnel. 


c.  Spraying  a  tree  with  a  bucket  pump. 

This  is  an  excellent  outfit  for  the 

garden  and  the  city  yard. 


NOZZLES,  STRAINER  AND  BUCKET   PUMP. 


SPRING  SPRAYING,    SOUTHINGTON. 


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1 8  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,   BULLETIN    I46. 


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SPRING  SPRAYING,  MILFORD.  1 9 

the  treatment  and  that  all  the  mixtures  here  used  were  fairly 
efficient.  The  final  examination  made  on  October  26  showed 
the  trees  to  be  almost  free  from  scale,  though  the  winter  injury- 
was  more  serious  than  was  supposed  early  in  the  season. 

Experiments  at  Milford. 

On  April  22-23,  various  mixtures  prepared  without  boiling 
were  applied  to  217  fruit  trees  and  256  currant  bushes  at 
Milford.  The  spraying  season  was  nearly  at  an  end  and  the 
buds  were  opening  on  plum  trees,  currant  and  gooseberry 
bushes.  The  lime,  sulphur  and  sodium  sulphide  mixture 
(formula  No.  7),  lime  and  potassium  sulphide  (formula  No. 
4),  lime,  sulphur  and  caustic  soda  (formula  No.  15),  and 
caustic  soda  solution  (formula  No.  13),  lime  and  sodium  sul- 
phide (formula  No.  6)  were  used  in  these  tests. 

Most  of  the  trees  and  bushes  were  moderately  infested  with 
scales,  and  some  were  killed  or  injured  by  the  winter,  so  that 
leaves  did  not  start  from  the  branches.  In  some  cases  growth 
started  from  the  upper  portion  of  the  trunks. 

Data  connected  with  these  experiments  are  given  in  the 
accompanying  table. 

Results  at  Milford. 
Trees  sprayed  with  mixtures  No.  4  and  No.  15  gave  the 
lowest  percentage  of  living  insects  in  June.  Those  receiving 
No.  6  and  No.  13  gave  the  highest.  No.  6  probably  washed 
off  sooner  than  the  other  mixtures  containing  lime,  though 
there  was  little  difference  in  this  respect  between  4,  7  and  15. 
Though  no  boiled  mixture  was  employed  here  for  comparison, 
it  certainly  seems  'as  if  mixtures  Nos.  4  and  15  gave  about  as 
good  results  as  could  be  expected  of  a  boiled  mixture.  The 
sprayed  trees  were  examined  October  25.  Formulas  Nos.  7, 
4  and  15  gave  very  satisfactory  results,  the  new  growth  of  the 
trees  being  mostly  clean.  Nos.  6  and  13  were  less  efficient  and 
more  living  scales  were  found  on  trees  sprayed  with  these 
preparations. 

Connecticut  Orchards  Sprayed  in  1904. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  over  100,000  fruit  trees  in  orchards  and 

gardens   were   sprayed   in   Connecticut   during    1904   with  the 

lime  and   sulphur  mixtures.     Mr.   J.   H.   Hale   sprayed   about 

16,000  trees  in  his  orchards  at  Glastonbury  and  Sevmour ;   Mr. 


20  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  BULLETIN    I46. 


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MAKING   THE   BOILED   MIXTURE.  21 

C.  E.  Lyman  sprayed  12,000  trees  at  Middlefield,  and  it  has 
already  been  mentioned  that  the  Highland  Fruit  Co.  of  Walling- 
ford  sprayed  their  entire  orchard  of  9,000  trees.  Other  growers 
who  have  done  more  or  less  spraying  with  the  lime  and  sulphur 
mixture  are  A.  C.  Sternberg,  West  Hartford ;  C.  I.  Allen, 
Terryville ;  T.  H.  &  L.  C.  Root,  Farmington ;  Barnes  Brothers, 
Yalesville;  A.  E.  Plant  &  Son,  Branford ;  G.  F.  Piatt  &  Son, 
N.  D.  Piatt  &  Son,  Milford ;  Hall  &  Barnes,  Wallingford,  and 
many  others. 

In  Keney  Park,  Hartford,  a  great  deal  of  spraying  was  done 
in  the  ornamental  planting  of  trees  and  shrubbery,  and  the 
writers  are  informed  that  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixture  is  con- 
sidered preferable  to  any  of  the  oils  or  soaps  previously  used 
here  for  the  purpose  of  killing  the  scale. 

So  far  as  can  be  learned,-  the  results  of  this  spraying  work 
have  been  on  the  whole  satisfactory.  The  boiled  mixture  has 
been  used  in  most  cases,  and  the  work  done  in  the  spring.  The 
care  with  which  the  mixtures  are  made  and  applied,  the  con- 
dition of  the  trees,  and  the  climatic  conditions  all  affect  the 
final  results. 

Making  the  Boiled  Mixture. 
A  portable  steam  boiler  is  probably  the  most  convenient  out- 
fit for  cooking  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixture  for  the  average 
orchard.  The  boiler  can  be  set  up  in  the  orchard,  preferably 
near  a  water  supply,  and  the  mixture  cooked  in  open  barrels. 
Common  rubber  hose  is  more  convenient  than  iron  pipe  for 
conveying  the  steam  to  the  barrels,  as  it  can  be  removed  more 
readily.  The  mixture  can  then  be  applied  as  fast  as  it  is  made. 
Each  line  of  hose  should  be  fitted  with  a  valve.  If  there  is  no 
spring  or  stream  of  water  near  the  orchard  it  is  not  impracti- 
cable to  cart  water  to  the  boiler,  as  was  done  at  Wallingford 
by  the  Highland  Fruit  Co.,  or  to  cart  the  boiled  mixture  a  mile 
or  more  from  the  boiler  to  the  orchard.  Mr.  Plant  of  Bran- 
ford  cooked  the  spraying  mixture  near  his  house,  drawing 
water  in  a  spout  directly  into  the  cooking  vats  from  a  spring 
on  the  hillside.  From  the  boiler  the  mixture  was  carted  in 
tight  casks  into  the  orchard  about  a  mile  distant,  drawn  off 
into  the  spray  barrels  and  applied.  The  portable  boiler  can 
be  used  in  any  moderate  sized  orchard,  but  is  capable  of  cook- 
ing material  for  large  orchards.     The  Kinney    "Safe"    engine 


22  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,   BULLETIN    I46. 

with  boiler  is  a  common  source  of  power  on  Connecticut  farms, 
and  this  has  probably  been  used  more  than  any  other  forms  of 
portable  boilers  for  cooking  the  mixture,  and  has  been  very  satis- 
factory ;  one  of  5  h.  p.  capacity  furnished  steam  to  cook  all  of 
the  mixture  used  in  spraying  9,000  good  sized  peach  trees  in  the 
orchard  of  the  Highland  Fruit  Co.  at  Wallingford.  An  outfit 
of  similar  size  and  pattern  was  used  in  an  orchard  of  12,000 
trees  by  Mr.  C.  E.  Lyman  of  Middlefield.  Some  of  the 
largest  orchards,  however,  are  provided  with  more  permanent 
stationary  cooking  plants.  That  of  Barnes  Brothers  of  Yales- 
ville  has  already  been  described  and  figured  in  the  Report  of 
this  Station  for  1902,  page  120.  A  much  more  elaborate  out- 
fit has  been  devised  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Hale  of  South  Glastonbury. 
(See  plate  III.  a.)  Mr.  Hale's  plant  consists  of  a  horizontal 
boiler  of  20  h.  p.  connected  by  pipes  with  eight  barrels  in 
which  the  materials  are  boiled.  Above  each  barrel  the  steam 
pipe  has  a  valve,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  barrel  the  pipe  is 
fitted  with  a  4-way  connection  containing  short  pipes  drilled 
with  small  holes  for  the  escape  of  the  steam.  By  this  arrange- 
ment no  stirring  is  necessary.  The  bottom  of  each  barrel  is 
also  connected  by  pipe  to  the  water  supply,  and  by  means  of 
valves  the  boiled  mixture  can  be  diluted,  and  drawn  off  through 
the  same  pipes  into  the  spray  barrel  or  into  casks  to  be  carted 
away.  This  appears  to  be  a  good  type  of  a  large  cooking 
plant. 

It  is  not  essential,  however,  for  the  owner  of  a  small  orchard 
to  go  to  the  trouble  and  expense  of  fitting  up  an  elaborate  out- 
fit of  this  sort.  Neither  is  it  necessary  to  employ  the  portable 
boiler,  as  the  mixture  can  be  cooked  very  satisfactorily  with 
steam  from  the  heating  plant  of  the  house ;  in  a  set  kettle  or 
portable  feed  cooker,  such  as  are  in  use  on  many  farms,  or  even 
in  a  kettle  on  the  stove,  where  small  quantities  are  required.  A 
feed  cooker  used  in  our  Westville  experiments  is  shown  on 
plate  II.  b. 

Finishing  lime  should  be  used  where  possible,  as  this  slakes 
completely,  leaving  little  sediment  to  clog  strainer  and  nozzles. 
It  comes  in  hard  white  lumps,  costs  more  than  mortar  lime  and 
generates  more  heat  in  slaking.  It  is  important  that  the  lime 
should  be  properly  slaked,  for  upon  this  depends  in  a  large 
measure  the  amount  of  sediment.     Water  should  be  added  to 


MAKING   THE   BOILED   MIXTURE.  23 

the  lime  only  as  needed  to  prevent  burning.  Lime  needs  air 
as  well  as  water  in  order  to  slake  well.  Therefore  too  much 
water  will  hinder  the  slaking  process  or  "drown"  it,  as  the 
bricklayer  says.  Constant  stirring  is  also  required  to  prevent 
"burning"  in  spots.  The  weight  of  the  lime  should  equal 
or  slightly  exceed  that  of  the  sulphur.  A  great  excess  injures 
the  mixture.  Sulphur  should  be  used  either  in  the  form  of  the 
sublimed  "flowers,"  or  the  finely  ground  "light  sulphur  flour." 
The  particles  are  somewhat  smaller  in  the  sublimed  product, 
but  there  is  a  greater  tendency  to  become  lumpy  under  pressure 
and  this,  of  course,  retards  solution.  The  writers  believe  that 
the  light  flour  is  the  better,  all  things  considered. 

The  sulphur  should  be  added  to  the  lime  before  slaking,  as 
the  heat  of  the  slaking  lime  can  be  utilized  to  help  dissolve  the 
sulphur,  though  this  heat  alone  will  probably  dissolve  only  a 
small  portion  of  it.  It  is  well  to  stir  the  materials  thoroughly 
during  the  slaking  process  to  prevent  "burning"  of  the  lime. 
Water  should  be  added  as  needed,  and  after  the  lime  is  slaked 
the  barrel  can  be  filled  about  one-third  full  of  water  and  the 
steam  or  heat  applied.  The  mixture  should  boil  for  a  period 
of  time  varying  from  forty-five  to  sixty  minutes.  Of  course, 
the  heat  can  be  applied  during  the  slaking  process,  and  in  this 
case  it  should  be  turned  on  for  at  least  an  hour  to  make  sure 
that  the  sulphur  is  well  dissolved.  In  our  Bridgeport  experi- 
ments, the  sulphur  was  made  into  a  paste  by  working  it  over 
with  the  hands,  warm  water  being  used.  This  prepared  the 
sulphur  for  more  immediate  action,  and  the  materials  were 
boiled  only  thirty  minutes  and  very  little  or  no  sulphur  remained 
undissolved.  But  in  most  cases  it  will  be  found  more  economi- 
cal to  add  dry  sulphur  to  the  slaking  lime  and  boil  it  for  a  longer 
time.  There  should  not  be  more  than  a  pint  of  sediment  for 
each  barrel  of  mixture  if  properly  made,  and  the  mixture  should 
be  strained  when  put  into  the  spray  barrel. 

Salt  may  be  added  to  this  mixture  and  is  still  used  in  some 
orchards,  though  in  most  cases  it  is  omitted.  In  previous  tests 
conducted  by  us  and  by  many  other  experimenters,  salt  was 
found  to  have  no  value  either  in  making  the  mixture  more 
adhesive  or  in  rendering  it  more  destructive  to  the  scale- 
insects. 


24        connecticut  experiment  station,  bulletin  1 46. 

Making  the  Mixture  Without  Boiling. 

The  fact  that  the  ordinary  lime  and  sulphur  mixture  requires 
boiling  has  kept  many  from  using  it,  in  spite  of  the  small  cost 
of  the  mixture,  even  when  boiled.  In  large  orchards,  where 
suitable  outfits  can  be  procured,  the  question  of  boiling  is  not 
such  a  serious  one,  but  in  hundreds  of  small  orchards  and  gar- 
dens the  trees  would  be  sprayed  if  some  easily  made  mixture 
could  be  used.  There  is  a  demand  for  a  mixture  that  can  be 
prepared  without  hot  water,  and  this  has  prompted  us  to  try 
several  things  with  the  view  of  possibly  supplying  this  demand. 

Last  year  we  used  potassium  sulphide  and  found  it  a  valuable 
addition  to  our  list  of  scale  insecticides.  It  has  been  used  the 
present  season  with  good  results.  It  is  too  expensive  for  large 
spraying  operations,  but  is  very  convenient  for  spraying  a  few 
small  trees  or  shrubs  near  the  buildings  or  in  a  city  yard.  Know- 
ing that  sodium  compounds  are  usually  cheaper  than  potassium 
compounds,  and  have  similar  properties,  we  sought  the  former, 
and  through  considerable  correspondence  we  learned  that  two 
grades  of  sodium  sulphide  could  be  obtained  at  a  low  price.  The 
crystallized  form  contained  less  than  30  per  cent,  of  sodium  sul- 
phide and  cost  1%  cents  per  pound  in  500  lb.  barrels.  The  fused 
form  has  nearly  60  per  cent,  of  sodium  sulphide  and  costs 
2^4  cents  per  pound  in  drums  of  over  700  lbs.  Both  kinds  were 
tested  in  the  laboratory  and  mixtures  with  lime  were  made  from 
each  and  sprayed  upon  trees.  The  mixture  from  the  crystal- 
lized sulphide  did  not  stick  as  well  as  that  from  the  fused,  and 
as  it  contained  such  a  small  quantity  of  sodium  sulphide,  was 
not  employed  extensively.  The  fused  sulphide,  however, 
promised  to  be  of  value  and  was  used  quite  extensively  in  these 
experiments.  The  worst  feature  about  it  is  the  form  in  which 
it  comes — in  a  fused  mass,  hard  as  a  rock.  When  freshly 
broken  it  is  of  a  reddish  color,  resembling  the  mineral  cinnabar. 
On  exposure  to  the  air  it  soon  blackens  and  gives  off  a  strong 
odor  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  The  large  lumps  are  hard  to 
dissolve,  but  the  finely  pulverized  material  is  very  soluble  in 
cold  water.  The  entire  mass  was  broken  with  hammers  into 
small  pieces — no  larger  than  a  hen's  egg.  In  this  form  it  would 
nearly  all  dissolve  when  added  to  the  slaking  lime,  but  in 
uniting  with  the  lime  to  form  calcium  sulphides  caustic  soda 
was  also  formed,  and  the  mixture  was  so  very  caustic  that  it 
went  through  the  skin,  making  sore  spots  wherever  it  struck. 


MAKING  THE   MIXTURE   WITHOUT   BOILING.  25 

In  our  laboratory  tests  the  dissolved  sodium  sulphide  was 
found  to  be  an  excellent  solvent  of  sulphur,  exceeding"  caustic 
soda  when  in  cold  solution,  though  the  latter  would  dissolve 
more  sulphur  if  heated.  In  discussing  the  properties  of  this 
sodium  sulphide,  Director  Jenkins  suggested  to  the  writers  that 
by  using  this  as  a  solvent  for  sulphur  in  connection  with  lime, 
the  causticity  would  probably  be  much  reduced — which  was 
found  to  be  the  case. 

An  effort  then  was  made  to  prepare  a  mixture  without  boil- 
ing based  on  the  same  cost  of  materials  as  the  boiled  mixture. 
Formula  No.  7  is  the  result,  and  No.  8  was  simply  a  test  of 
larger  quantities  of  sulphur  and  sodium  sulphide  with  the  same 
amount  of  lime.  When  prepared  after  either  formula,  this 
mixture  is  no  more  caustic  or  unpleasant  to  handle  than  the 
boiled  lime  and  sulphur  mixture,  and  while  we  are  not  yet  pre- 
pared to  state  that  it  is  just  as  good,  it  certainly  has  given  favor- 
able results  that  warrant  further  trial.  If  this  sodium  sul- 
phide could  be  obtained  in  pulverized  form  it  would  be  much 
more  convenient  to  use,  and  we  have  taken  up  the  matter  with 
the  manufacturers  in  Germany  to  try  and  bring  it  about. 

In  making  the  mixtures  without  boiling,  the  unslaked  finish- 
ing lime  was  used.  This  generates  more  heat  in  slaking  than 
the  mortar  lime,  and  heat  aids  in  dissolving  the  sulphides.  The 
best  solution  resulted  when  the  greatest  amount  of  heat  was 
produced  by  the  slaking  lime.  The  light  sulphur  flour  is  the 
grade  of  sulphur  best  adapted  for  the  unboiled  solutions.  As 
has  already  been  mentioned,  this  does  not  form  as  many  dry 
lumps  as  the  flowers  of  sulphur.  Boiling  will  break  up  some 
of  these  lumps,  but  it  is  more  necessary  in  the  unboiled  mixture 
to  use  the  form  that  is  least  inclined  to  become  lumpy. 

Cold  water  was  used  in  most  cases.  Warm,  or  hot  water, 
of  course,  assists  greatly  in  slaking  the  lime  and  dissolving  the 
sulphides.  But  it  requires  nearly  as  much  of  an  outfit  to  heat 
the  water  as  to  boil  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixture,  and  the  chief 
object  of  an  unboiled  mixture  is  to  do  away  with  such  an  outfit. 

Lime  and  Potassium  Sulphide  Mixture. 

(  20  lbs.  lime. 
Formula  No.  4.  -J  20  lbs.  potassium  sulphide. 
(  40  galls,  water. 

This  can  be  prepared  in  two  ways,  either  of  which  is  satis- 
factory. 


26  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  BULLETIN    I46. 

1.  Place  the  weighed  potassium  sulphide  in  a  half-barrel  and 
add  three  or  four  pails  of  water.  Stir  occasionally.  Place  the 
lime  in  a  barrel  and  slake  carefully,  the  same  as  for  a  boiled 
mixture.  When  the  potassium  sulphide  has  all  dissolved  add 
it  to  the  slaked  lime,  with  water  to  make  about  one-third  the 
required  volume.  Then  strain  the  mixture  into  the  pump 
barrel,  dilute  to  make  the  right  proportion  and  apply  to  the 
trees. 

2.  Weigh  out  the  materials.  Put  the  lime  in  a  barrel  and 
start  it  slaking.  When  it  begins  to  slake  vigorously  add  the 
dry  sulphide.  Then  stir  the  mixture  vigorously  and  add  just 
enough  water  to  keep  the  lime  from  burning.  After  the  lime 
has  slaked,  add  a  small  quantity  of  water  and  allow  the  mix- 
ture to  stand  for  a  short  time,  with  frequent  stirring.  Then 
dilute  and  apply. 

The  above  formula  has  been  given  in  several  Experiment 
Station  bulletins  with  directions  that  the  potassium  sulphide  be 
dissolved  in  warm  water  and  the  lime  slaked  with  this  solution. 
We  do  not  recommend  this  method,  because  the  sulphide  when 
dissolved  makes  a  soapy,  caustic  solution  which,  when  added  to 
the  lime,  immediately  coats  over  the  lumps,  excluding  the  air 
and  checking  the  slaking  process.  Besides,  there  is  practically 
nothing  gained  by  this  method. 

Lime,   Sulphur   and   Sodium   Sulphide   Mixture. 

i1u      ,.  f  20  lbs.  lime. 

20  lbs.  lime.  1    „  -,,           ,   , 

,,            ,.  ,    ,  .,               v,      0         11  lbs.  sulphur. 

20  lbs.  sodium  sulphide.  No.  8.  ■<    tt  ,,           j ■   „       1    i,-j„ 

„           .  r                                      11  lbs.  sodium  sulphide. 

40  galls,  water.  n           .            r 

t    &        ■  ^  40  galls,  water. 

I  onlh*    lime  (  14  lbs.  lime. 

1  z(j  ids.  lime.  1      r  it,     ,    1    i 

No.  6.  -<  10  lbs.  sodium  sulphide.  No.  q.  \      ,  ,,  J.        '     ,    ,  .  , 

)  ,,  *  *     J     o  lbs.  sodium  sulphide. 

(  40  galls,  water.  n    •„* 

v  ^    °  ^  40  galls,  water. 

f  20  lbs.  lime.  f  14  lbs.  lime. 

N  J      6  lbs.  sulphur.  N  J    11  lbs.  sulphur. 

"  ''    1      6  lbs.  sodium  sulphide.  '       "    j    11  lbs.  sodium  sulphide. 

[_  40  galls,  water.  [  40  galls,  water. 

These  mixtures  are  made  practically  in  the  same  way  as 
the  last  preparation.  It  is  important  to  use  as  little  water  as 
possible  in  slaking  the  lime  and  to  let  the  lime  get  well  started 
before  the  other  ingredients  are  put  in. 

Weigh  the  materials,  put  the  lime  in  a  barrel,  add  water,  and 
when  it  begins  to  slake  vigorously  add  the  dry  sulphur  and 
lumps  of  sodium  sulphide.  Keep  the  whole  well  stirred.  When 
the  lime  is  slaked,  add  a  few  pails  of  water,  and  let  the  solution 


MAKING  LIME,  SULPHUR,  AND  SODIUM  SULPHIDE  MIXTURE.     2J 

stand  for  about  twenty  minutes.  It  can  then  be  strained, 
diluted,  and  sprayed  upon  the  trees.  The  sodium  sulphide  used 
in  these  mixtures  is  dissolved  by  the  water,  aided  by  the  heat 
of  the  lime.  The  caustic  properties  of  the  sulphide  and  lime, 
together  with  the  heat,  dissolve  the  sulphur  flour,  thus  forming 
sulphides  of  lime  similar  to  those  formed  in  a  boiled  lime  and 
sulphur  mixture. 

This  appears  much  like  the  regular  boiled  mixture,  except 
that  it  is  olive-green  in  color  instead  of  yellow. 

Lime,  Sulphur  and  Caustic  Soda. 

f  14  lbs.  lime. 

it  1     xt  )    14  lbs.  sulphur. 

Formula  No.  14.     ■<      Z  iu„  *■         j 

^  7  lbs.  caustic  soda. 

^  40  galls,  water. 

In  this  mixture  caustic  soda  is  added  to  assist  in  dissolving 
the  sulphur.  Start  the  lime  slaking  and  add  the  sulphur  and 
caustic  soda.  The  caustic  soda  causes  violent  boiling  of  the 
mixture,  and  water  must  be  added  at  intervals  to  prevent  the 
mixture  from  boiling  over  the  top  of  the  barrel.  The  mixture 
becomes  reddish  in  color  very  soon  after  adding  the  caustic 
soda,  and  by  the  time  the  action  ceases  the  color  reaches  deep 
reddish  brown.  Then  dilute  with  water  and  apply.  This  mix- 
ture is  convenient  and  effective.  Common  household  lye  can 
be  used  instead  of  caustic  soda. 

This  is  similar  to  the  mixture  originated  at  the  New  York 
(Geneva)  Experiment  Station  and  used  extensively  there  in  the 
orchards.  (See  Bulletins  228  and  247  N.  Y.  Expt.  Station, 
Geneva,  N.  Y.) 

Caustic  Soda  and  Water. 

N  j    8  lbs.  caustic  soda.  >r  (    7  lbs.  caustic  soda. 

'     I  40  galls,  water.  '     *'    (  40  galls,  water. 

Dissolve  the  weighed  amount  of  caustic  soda  in  water  and 

dilute  ready  for  use.     This  solution  is  very  disagreeable  to  use ; 

every  drop  that  strikes  the  skin  makes  it  smart  violently. 

Outfit  for  Applying  the  Mixture. 
Spraying  with  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixture  is  looked  upon 
as  one  of  the  arduous  and  disagreeable  jobs  of  the  fruit 
grower.  The  spring  spraying  comes  at  a  time  when  each  day 
brings  the  grower  nearer  the  regular  spring  work.  Especially 
if  a  few  days  of  bad  weather  occur,  the  spraying  must  be 
rushed  as  fast  as  possible.     The  above  reasons  alone  are  suf- 


28  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  BULLETIN    I46. 

ficient  to  show  that  the  best  and  most  practical  outfit  procurable 
should  be  used,  to  make  the  work  go  as  smoothly  and  pleasantly 
as  possible  and  to  obviate  the  loss  of  time  from  the  breaking 
down  and  the  giving  out  of  an  inadequate  spraying  outfit. 

As  spraying  is  more  and  more  practiced,  the  good  and  bad 
points  of  spray  pumps  and  their  accessories  are  being  brought 
out. 

Many  inquiries  have  come  to  the  station  during  the  past 
year  in  regard  to  the  best  kinds  of  spray  pumps,  nozzles,  etc.  It 
seems,  therefore,  advisable  to  describe  a  practical  outfit  in  this 
bulletin. 

Pump,  Barrel  and  Carriage. 

It  has  not  yet  been  demonstrated  that  power  sprayers  are  as 
practical  or  can  take  the  place  of  the  hand  barrel  pump  for 
orchard  work  in  Connecticut.  The  first  thing  to  consider  is 
the  pump,  which  should  be  of  large  size,  furnishing  ample 
pressure  to  supply  at  least  two  lines  of  hose  fitted  with  double 
Vermorel  nozzles.  This  should  be  made  so  that  when  it  is 
mounted  on  the  end  of  a  fifty  gallon  cask,  the  highest  point 
should  be  the  fulcrum  or  post  on  which  the  pump  handle  or 
lever  works.  This  should  be  just  high  enough  to  give  the 
handle  a  good  working  distance, — that  is,  when  pushed  down 
it  will  just  clear  the  chine  of  the  barrel.  The  air  chamber 
should  be  under  the  handle  post,  the  larger  part  of  it  being 
in  the  barrel  out  of  sight.  It  is  essential  that  the  cylinder  be 
of  good  size  and  the  plunger  must  be  packed  in  such  a  manner 
that  it  can  be  tightened  quickly  and  easily.  The  valves  should 
be  made  as  simple  as  possible.  It  must  be  possible  to  take  the 
whole  pump  apart  and  put  it  together  with  a  monkey  wrench. 
The  lime  and  sulphur  mixture  requires  a  pump  with  an  agitator 
that  will  keep  the  liquid  well  mixed. 

There  are  several  pumps  on  the  market  which  are  of  this 
type.  One  which  has  recently  been  brought  to  the  attention  of 
the  Connecticut  fruit  grower  is  the  "Hardie."  This  pump  has 
several  features  worth  pointing  out.  The  plunger  is  made  so 
the  packing  can  be  tightened  by  turning  the  plunger  rod  with 
a  wrench  without  removing  it  from  the  cylinder.  The  plunger 
consists  of  two  cone-shaped  pieces,  one  screwing  upon  the 
other;  the  groove  between  them  is  wound  full  with  cotton 
waste.  This  is  pushed  into  the  cylinder  and  a  projection  on 
the  lower  cone  holds  it  stationary  while  the  upper  one  is  screwed 


PUMP,  BARREL  AND  CARRIAGE.  29 

down  by  turning  the  rod.  This  crowds  the  packing  together 
until  it  fills  the  cylinder.  The  mixture  enters  the  pump  through 
a  strainer  at  the  side  instead  of  the  bottom,  and  the  agitator 
works  up  and  down  in  front  of  this  place,  keeping  the  strainer 
from  becoming  clogged. 

Among  the  pumps  used  in  Connecticut  that  have  given  fairly 
good  satisfaction  are  the  "Eclipse,"  manufactured  by  the  Mor- 
rill &  Morley  Co.,  Benton  Harbor,  Mich. ;  the  pumps  manu- 
factured by  the  Goulds  Mfg.  Co.,  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y.,  of  which 
the  "Pomona"  is  a  type ;  and  the  "Century,"  manufactured  by 
the  Deming  Co.,  Salem,  Ohio.  These  pumps  all  have  some 
good  features  as  well  as  weak  ones.  All  pumps  should  be  made 
so  that  they  can  be  removed  from  the  barrel  more  readily. 

Plate  I.  b.  shows  one  of  the  most  practical  ways  of  mounting 
a  pump.  The  pump  is  mounted  on  the  side  of  the  barrel 
instead  of  the  end.  One  can  readily  see  many  advantages  in 
this  method.  The  barrel  is  less  liable  to  tip  over  in  rough 
places.  It  is  much  easier  to  fill  than  when  mounted  on  the 
end.  When  a  strainer  like  the  one  described  is  used  a  hole 
only  large  enough  to  take  in  the  pipe  is  necessary  in  filling  the 
barrel.  This  can  be  plugged  tightly.  A  drag  or  sled  is  made 
of  two  pieces  of  4  x  6  inch  scantling  for  runners,  and  spiking 
a  platform  of  plank  to  the  upper  edge  of  them.  The  front 
ends  of  the  runners  are  rounded.  The  barrel  is  placed  cross- 
wise of  this  sled  on  wooden  blocks  cut  to  fit  the  curve  of  the 
barrel  and  fastened  to  both  barrel  and  sled.  There  should  be 
standing  room  behind  the  barrel  for  the  man  who  pumps.  A 
piece  of  scantling  is  placed  close  to  each  side  of  the  barrel  and 
fastened  to  the  wooden  blocks,  thus  forming  a  frame  around 
the  barrel,  securely  fastening  it  to  the  sled.  Iron  straps  may 
also  be  used  for  holding  the  barrel  in  place.  Plate  I.  b. 
shows  two  pumps.  One  is  mounted  in  the  manner  just 
described,  the  other  is  placed  lengthwise  of  the  runners.  It 
took  but  a  short  time  to  prove  which  was  the  practical  way  of 
mounting.  Where  it  was  mounted  lengthwise  there  was  more 
chance  for  the  barrel  to  tip  over.  The  handle  was  at  the  side 
and  liable  to  catch  on  the  trees  and  branches  in  going  through 
the  orchard.  The  man  pumping  was  continually  in  the  way 
of  the  hose  on  one  side.  The  hose  leads  from  the  back  and 
front  of  the  outfit  instead  of  the  sides,  as  in  the  other  case, 
consequently  the  hose  was  continually  bent  at  the  point  of 
attachment  and  soon  gave  out. 


30  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  BULLETIN    I46. 

When  the  barrel  was  mounted  crosswise  of  the  drag,  the 
man  pumping  stood  back  on  the  platform  out  of  the  way  of 
the  men  handling  the  hose. 

Pump  manufacturers  make  outfits  consisting  of  small-sized 
barrels  holding  from  15  to  25  gallons,  mounted  on  wheels,  for 
hand  use  in  the  garden.  The  ordinary  barrel  pump  is  used  in 
these  outfits,  though  sometimes  of  a  smaller  size  than  would  be 
chosen  for  orchard  work.  These  hand  wheel  outfits  are  most 
useful  in  the  home  garden  of  four  or  five  acres.  For  still 
smaller  places,  like  the  ordinary  city  yard,  or  for  spraying  a 
few  large  trees,  a  bucket  pump  costing  from  four  to  six  dollars 
is  perhaps  the  best  form  of  outfit.  Such  a  pump  is  shown  on 
plate  IV.  c.  and  can  be  used  with  any  wooden  pail  or  bucket. 
The  small  compressed  air  pumps  on  the  market,  and  the  knap- 
sack pumps,  will  answer  the  purpose,  but  most  of  them  are 
badly  corroded  by  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixtures. 

Clean  water  should  be  run  through  pump,  hose  and  nozzles 
at  the  end  of  each  day's  work,  and  at  the  end  of  the  spraying 
season  the  pump  and  nozzles  should  be  well  cleaned  and  oiled 
to  prevent  corrosion. 

Hose. 

For  general  spraying  work,  we  prefer  half-inch  rubber  hose 
in  lengths  of  not  less  than  25  feet.  Where  two  lines  of  hose 
are  used  it  is  frequently  of  advantage  to  have  one  of  them  50 
feet  long  for  reaching  the  opposite  side  of  trees  or  for  working 
a  long  distance  behind  the  pump.  Most  of  the  pumps  are  sent 
out  with  a  piece  of  hose  seven  or  eight  feet  in  length,  which 
is  altogether  too  short  for  practical  work.  This  hose,  though 
of  good  quality,  usually  costs  16  or  18  cents  per  foot,  making 
it  too  expensive  for  orchard  use.  We  have  been  using  a  grade 
of  hose  which  can  be  purchased  from  the  rubber  stores  in 
the  larger  cities  of  Connecticut  for  eight  or  nine  cents  per 
foot.  This  hose  has  been  very  satisfactory,  withstands  the 
pressure,  and  for  dragging  about  in  the  orchard  seems  to  wear 
about  as  long  as  the  more  expensive  hose.  The  points  of 
breakage  are  always  near  the  ends  where  sharp  bending  occurs. 

Extension  Rods. 
For  reaching  into  the  trees  it  is  necessary  to  use  some  form 
of  rod   six  to  ten  feet  long,   and  the  lightest   and  best  is   a 
hollow  one  which  screws  onto  the  end  of  the  hose  and  permits 


HOSE,    EXTENSION    RODS   AND    NOZZLES.  3 1 

the  liquid  to  pass  through  it.  Bamboo  rods  have  been  designed 
for  this  purpose,  each  consisting  of  a  brass  tube  inside  of  a 
piece  of  bamboo.  Screw  connections  are  made  between  the 
brass  rod  and  the  hose  at  one  end,  while  the  other  end  takes 
the  nozzle.  The  hose  connection  should  also  have  a  stop  cock 
or  "shut  off"  to  avoid  wasting  the  spray  mixture.  The  bam- 
boo extensions  are  light  and  convenient,  but  not  durable,  as  the 
screw  connections  soon  break  off  or  the  bamboo  splits  or  becomes 
loosened  on  the  brass  rod.  For  this  reason  many  orchardists 
have  adopted  an  extension  made  of  quarter-inch  gas-pipe. 
Though  heavier  and  harder  to  hold  in  the  hand  on  account  of 
the  smaller  diameter,  the  gas-pipe  rods  are  more  durable  and 
considerably  cheaper  than  the  bamboo  extensions. 

Nozzles. 
The  double  Vermorel  nozzle  has  been  used  probably  more 
than  any  other  in  orchard  spraying  and  has  given  satisfaction. 
For  large  trees  the  MacGowen  is  preferred  by  some  operators. 
During  the  past  season  the  Gould's  Mfg.  Co.  has  put  upon  the 
market  a  new  nozzle  called  the  "Mistry."  The  "Mistry"  is 
a  large  and  somewhat  complicated  nozzle  that  gives  a  fine 
spray.  The  greatest  disadvantage  of  this  nozzle  is  that  the 
caps  wear  out  very  quickly  and  often  need  replacing  once  or 
twice  each  season.  The  lime  and  sulphur  mixture,  when  forced 
in  a  thin  stream  under  great  pressure  against  the  cap,  will  soon 
wear  and  enlarge  the  opening  on  any  of  these  nozzles.  If  the 
caps  could  be  made  of  hard  steel  instead  of  brass  they  would 
last  much  longer.  Some  growers  praise  the  "Mistry"  highly, 
while  others  prefer  the  double  Vermorel.  The  Spramotor 
Co.  has  originated  a  nozzle  fitted  with  hard  steel  disks,  through 
which  the  openings  are  made.  These  disks  can  be  replaced  easily 
and  while  we  have  not  yet  given  these  nozzles  a  practical  trial 
in  the  orchard,  they  appear  to  work  nicely  and  throw  an  excel- 
lent spray.  One  man  who  makes  a  business  of  spraying  trees 
informs  me  that  the  Spramotor  is  the  best  nozzle  that  he  can 
find  for  his  work.  The  nozzles  of  the  "Bordeaux"  and 
"Seneca"  type  give  a  fan-shaped  spray,  are  heavy  and  not 
readily  cleaned  after  being  set,  and  the  handles  are  hook-shaped 
and  get  caught  in  the  branches.  For  these  reasons  they  are  not 
well  adapted  to  orchard  work.  These  nozzles  are  all  shown 
on  plate  IV.  a. 


32  CONNECTICUT  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  BULLETIN    I46. 

Strainer  and  Funnel. 
We  have  found  a  home-made  strainer  the  most  satisfactory, 
as  the  ready-made  strainers  are  not  of  the  proper  size  or  shape 
for  practical  use.  The  strainer  and  funnel  that  we  have  adopted 
consists  of  a  common  wooden  pail  with  the  bottom  reinforced  and 
a  piece  of  one  and  one-half  inch  iron  gas-pipe  screwed  through 
it.  About  half-way  up  on  the  inside  of  the  pail  is  tacked  a 
circular  piece  of  iron  wire  cloth,  having  at  least  20  meshes  per 
inch.  A  finer  strainer  is  not  needed  and  only  hinders  the  work, 
as  the  men  must  wait  for  the  liquid  to  go  through.  This  kind 
of  a  strainer  is  always  convenient,  will  hold  a  pailful  at  a  time, 
and  there  is  more  straining  surface  than  if  the  wire  was  placed 
at  the  bottom.  It  is  shown  on  plate  IV.  b.  The  materials  for 
such  a  strainer  cost  not  more  than  fifty  cents,  and  the  wire 
cloth  can  be  obtained  from  the  wire  stores  in  New  Haven  and 
Hartford. 

SUMMARY. 

1.  This  station  conducted  spraying  experiments  in  Bridgeport,  New 
Haven,  Westville,  Wallingford,  Southington  and  Milford  during  the 
past  season,  to  kill  the  San  Jose"  scale-insect.  Over  4,000  trees  were 
treated.  Nearly  800  were  sprayed  in  December  and  the  remainder  in 
March  and  April.  Fifteen  different  formulas  were  used  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  materials ;  mixtures  of  lime  and  sulphur  were  used  chiefly. 

2.  The  winter  injury  to  trees  was  very  serious,  many  orchards  being 
permanently  damaged.  This  makes  it  impracticable  to  express  in 
exact  figures  in  all  cases  the  results  of  these  experiments.  Fifty  per 
cent,  of  the  San  Jose  scale-insects  were  also  destroyed  by  the  winter 
in  many  localities. 

3.  Fall  or  early  winter  spraying  gave  good  results,  both  where  the 
boiled  and  unboiled  lime  and  sulphur  mixtures  were  used,  and  will 
doubtless  soon  be  practiced  by  fruit-growers. 

4.  The  boiled  mixture  of  lime  and  sulphur,  using  as  much  or  a  little 
more  lime  than  sulphur,  is  probably  as  effective  and  as  inexpensive  as 
any  mixture  for  ordinary  orchard  work.  Of  the  mixtures  made  without 
boiling,  the  potassium  sulphide  and  lime  is  excellent  for  a  few  small 
trees  or  shrubs,  but  is  rather  expensive  for  spraying  large  trees ;  the 
lime,  sulphur  and  sodium  sulphide  mixture  is  a  promising  one,  worthy 
of  further  trial,  and  giving  good  results  in  these  experiments.  Lime 
and  sodium  sulphide  make  a  mixture  that  is  less  efficient  than  those 
just  mentioned,  nearly  as  caustic  in  its  action  as  caustic  soda,  and 
workmen  need  protection  in  handling  it.  At  present  sodium  sulphide 
(fused),  though  inexpensive,  is  not  put  up  in  a  convenient  form  for 
orchard  use. 

5.  Caustic  soda  as  used  in  these  tests  did  not  give  as  good  results  as 
most  of  the  other  mixtures.  Its  caustic  action  makes  it  hard  to  handle 
and  the  hands  and  faces  of  the  men  should  be  protected, 

6.  Probably  100,000  fruit  trees  in  Corinecticut  orchards  and  gardens 
were  sprayed  with  the  lime  and  sulphur  mixtures  during  the  Spring  of 
1904.     The  results  were  generally  satisfactory. 

7.  A  satisfactory  spraying  outfit  consists  of  hand  pump  in  barrel 
mounted  on  drag  or  wagon  and  fitted  with  two  lines  of  half-inch  hose 
at  least  25  feet  long,  extension  rods  and  nozzles,  as  described  in  the 
foregoing  pages. 


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